WILD MUSHROOM LASAGNA

I know, I know. I've already provided a recipe for mushroom lasagna. But that one had a red sauce, remember? And this one uses a white sauce, is a little more complicated but is also more elegant. I served it once to friends from London and they proclaimed it a great success. This is somewhat of a production, but well worth it. And parts of it, or all of it, can be made ahead. And it uses the non-boiled pasta sheets.

WILD MUSHROOM LASAGNA

serves 6-8



For the mushroom filling

3 C water

2-oz dried porcini mushrooms (about 1 C)

2 lb fresh white mushrooms

2 large zucchini (about 1 lb)

1 large onion

3 garlic cloves

5 T unsalted butter

6 T Sherry

2 t chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 1/2 t salt

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 C flour (all purpose)

5 C whole milk

4 1/2 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 C)

2 t Dijon mustard

1 1/2 t salt

For the pasta

18 of 7 x 3 1/2 inch sheets dry, no boil pasta

1/2 lb freshly grated mozzarella (about 2 C)

1 1/2 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 C)

Make the filling

1. In a small saucepan bring water to a boil and remove pan from heat. Stir in porcini. Soak porcini 20 minutes. Lift out porcini, squeezing out excess liquid, and reserve soaking liquid. In a sieve, rinse porcini to remove any grit and pat dry. Chop porcini and transfer to a large bowl. Simmer reserved soaking liquid until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Pour liquid through a sieve lined with dampened paper towels into bowl with porcini.

2. Quarter white mushrooms and in a food processor pulse in 3 batches until finely chopped. Cut zucchini into 1/4 inch dice. Chop onion and mince garlic. In a 12-inch heavy skillet heat 1 tablespoon of butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and cook one third white mushrooms with 2 tablespoons sherry, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and they begin to brown. Add mushroom mixture to porcini. Cook remaining mushrooms in 2 batches in butter with remaining sherry in same manner and add to porcini mixture. In skillet cook zucchini in 1 tablespoon butter until tender and stir into porcini mixture. In skillet cook onion in remaining tablespoon butter, stirring, until softened. Stir in garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir onion into mushroom mixture until combined. Filling may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Make the sauce

1. In a 3 quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes and whisk in milk. If you warm the milk first, thickening the mixture will go much faster. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly (to avoid lumps), turn heat to simmer and whisk occasionally, 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan, mustard and salt. Remove pan from heat and cover surface of sauce with wax paper. Sauce may be made 1 day in advance and chilled, covered. Bring sauce to room temperature before proceeding. Preheat oven to 375 and butter a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Assemble Lasagna

1. Spread 1 1/4 cups sauce in baking dish and cover with 3 pasta sheets, making sure they don't touch each other. Spread one third filling over pasta sheets in dish and top with 3 more pasta sheets, placed in the opposite direction, and gently press down layers to remove air pockets. Top pasta sheets with one third mozzarella. Continue layering in same manner with sauce, pasta sheets, filling and mozzarella, ending with mozzarella (dish will be filled to the rim). Spread remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with Parmesan.

2. On a foil lined large baking sheet, bake lasagna in middle of oven until bubbling and golden, about 45 minutes. Let lasagna stand 20 minutes before serving.

To make ahead: in addition to making the separate ingredients ahead, the whole lasagna may be made 1 day ahead, allowed to cool and chilled, covered. Bring lasagna to room temperature and reheat at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes before serving.

Note: this is a fairly heavy dish. I recommend a composed green salad first, some crusty bread and a hearty white wine with the lasagna, and fruit for dessert.